All her life, clever Aemi has been a slave in the Village of the Rocks, a place where the sea and sky meet. She’s heard the stories about the fabled People of the Sea, a people who possess unimaginable technology who live below the waves in the dark, secret places of the ocean. But she never dreamed those stories were true.

When a ship emerges from the ocean and men burn her village, Aemi is captured, and enslaved below the waves in Itlantis, a world filled with ancient cities of glass and metal, floating gardens, and wondrous devices that seem to work magic. To make matters worse, her village nemesis, the stuck-up mayor’s son Nol, was captured with her, and they are made servants in the same household beneath the sea.

Desperate to be free, Aemi plots her escape, even going so far as to work with Nol. But the sea holds more secrets than she realizes, and escape might not be as simple as leaving…

I am extremely excited to introduce all of you to Kate Avery Ellison. Kate is here today to talk about the first novel of her new series Secrets of Itlantis, called Of Sea and Stone! Hey, Kate! Welcome to Between Printed Pages, we’re so happy to have you here today.

Thanks! I’m happy to be here.

Before we start, would you like to tell us a little bit about yourself?

Well, I live in Atlanta with my husband and our two cats. I write full-time and I love it. My husband and I are huge geeks. I love to watch sci fi and fantasy TV shows, play strategy board games, and read lots and lots of books.

What was the inspiration for Secrets of Itlantis and what gave you the jump start to begin writing Aemi’s story?

I had the idea about 10 years ago, actually, so I’m not sure exactly what was the inspiration. I’ve always been intrigued by the idea of underwater cities, though, and I’ve always wanted to write something set in a world like that. My previous series, The Frost Chronicles, was set in a frozen wilderness filled with mysterious monsters, and I wanted to work on a series that was pretty different than that for my next series, and underwater/tropical locations felt pretty different!

I understand that you’re into digital art (which looks amazing by the way). How did you start up this hobby? What are your favourite digital design programs and how did you train them to work with you?

I started the hobby when I was a kid—I wanted to photoshop myself into photos with actors, that kind of thing. It was very silly. I also liked making web banners for stuff I was fangirling over. When I was older, I taught myself Photoshop (my preferred design program) using Youtube tutorials and other websites, and now I do all kinds of photomanipulation. I also design my own covers. You can see some of my stuff here: http://werekat12.deviantart.com/

What was the most enjoyable scene in the book to write?

Well, I don’t necessarily want to give anything away by describing it, but basically all of Chapter 29. I could see everything unfolding in my head, and it was epic and made my heart pound to envision (especially since I have a fear of dark, deep water). And there’s a kiss, as well as lots of action. It was actually the first scene I ever imagined from the book before I started writing it, so it’s iconic to me in that sense as well.

If you could choose three songs that describe this book, what would they be and why?

Yellow Light by Of Monsters and Men – this song has a really wistful, dreamy quality to that I think fits some of the settings, particularly the garden spheres in the underwater city of Celestrus, as well as the melancholy Aemi feels as she seeks to escape.

Never Let Me Go by Florence + the Machine – this song pairs well with parts of the scene that was my favorite to write. It has a desperate melancholy coupled with a sweetness that just works for me. It’s a good song for both Nol and Aemi in that scene and in that moment.

Everybody Wants to Rule the World by Lorde – it’s kind of a fitting way to end the book and it has a lot of resonance with me for the entire series and the various factions and enemies that all have different plans for Aemi.

Last, but not least, what is your favourite word?

Oooh, good question. I have several favorite words. One is “scuttle.” I think it sounds so crab-like.

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer our questions, Kate Avery Ellison! Congratulations on the release of this series! We can’t wait to read it!

I’ve been making up stories since I was five years old, and now I’m thrilled to be able to do it as a full-time job. I have an obsession with dark fantasy, dystopian futures, and Pride and Prejudice-style love stories full of witty banter and sizzling, unspoken feelings. When I’m not writing, I’m creating digital art, reading funny blogs, or watching my favorite shows (which include TVD and BSG). I live with my geeky husband and our two bad cats in Atlanta, GA.